Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
July Film Society Meeting
July Film Discussion
Watch and Discuss
The Ides of MarchThanks to everyone that came this month for Lincoln! In July, we will discuss George Clooney's The Ides of March on Monday. This fast-paced political thriller should be an interesting companion piece to our discussion of Lincoln. George Clooney wrote and directed this film and received an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay. The film boasts a star-studded cast including Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, and Marisa Tomei.
Ambition seduces and power corrupts in this nerve-wracking thriller from Academy Award nominated director George Clooney. Idealistic campaign worker Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) has sworn to give all for Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), a wild-card presidential candidate whose groundbreaking ideas could change the political landscape. However, a brutal Ohio primary threatens to test Morris's integrity. Stephen gets trapped in the down-and-dirty battle and finds himself caught up in a scandal where the only path to survival is to play both sides.
17+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Watch & Discuss
This month, the Film Society will engage in discussions about the themes
of this movie. The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by
thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both
online and at our monthly meeting. Everyone is invited to participate
in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful
discussion about this film right here.
Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.
Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.
1. How do Meyers and Morris change over the course of the film? Is compromising their values necessary for the greater good?
2. Do you think the choice Meyers makes over the course of the film are for the greater good or more personally motivated?
3. How has the role of public image changed for political figures between Lincoln and the Ides of March?
4. Meyers truly believes Morris is the right man to be president, regardless of the choices Morris makes. Do you agree with Meyers at the end of the movie?
5. Are a presidential candidates values and personal integrity even important when compared to their political policies? Are these factors more important now that everything is recorded and accessible on the Internet?
References
The Ides of March on IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/
Image Credits
www.edgeoftheplank.com
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
June Film Discussion: Lincoln
June Film Discussion
Watch and Discuss
LincolnThis month we will discuss Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. The film hosts an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Sally Field. Lincoln won two Academy Awards and was nominated for another ten! This critically acclaimed film will be a treat for movie fans and history buffs alike and offers plenty to talk about.
As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president (2012 Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. This film chronicles the president's term in office between 1861 and 1865 as he dealt with personal demons and politics during the Civil War.
Watch & Discuss
This month, the Film Society will engage in discussions about the themes
of this movie. The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by
thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both
online and at our monthly meeting. Everyone is invited to participate
in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful
discussion about this film right here.
Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.
Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.
1. How is the Lincoln marriage portrayed in the film? How do Lincoln and Mary Todd's personalities differ?
2. How does the film portray Lincoln's racial views and his perspective of slavery? Do those views change over the course of the film?
3. How are Lincoln's views of faith portrayed in the film?
4. Lincoln is admired as a historical hero by many, well beyond academic circles. Does the film help support this historical perception of the president or does it offer a new perspective?
References
Lincoln on IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/
Image Credits
http://www.parentalguide.org/assets/rating_pg13.gif
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
May Film Discussion: Robot & Frank
May Film Discussion
Watch and Discuss
Robot & FrankThis month's Film Society discussion we will about Robot and Frank. This Alfred P. Sloan Award winner was directed by Jake Schreier and written by Christopher Ford. This was the first full length feature film for both writer and director, and was a favorite at the Sundance Film Festival. The Alfred P. Sloan Award is given annually to a film that depicts science, technology, or math or has a character that is a scientist, engineer, or mathematician. We hope that this quirky little gem, will win your heart and mind. And there is much to discuss about a film like this.
Set in the near future, an aging ex-convict named Frank (Frank Langella, in a remarkable performance) lives alone and is experiencing increasingly serious mental deterioration and dementia. Frank's son Hunter (James Marsden), an attorney with a family of his own, grows tired of making weekly visits to his father's home, but is reluctant to put his father into full time care, so he purchases a robot companion (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), which is programmed to provide Frank with therapeutic care, including a fixed daily routine and cognitive enhancing activities like gardening. This is one buddy film, you won't want to miss.
Watch & Discuss
This month, the Film Society will engage in discussions about the themes of this movie. The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both online and at our monthly meeting. Everyone is invited to participate in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful discussion about this film right here.
Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.
1. The film is set "in the near future" but we never really know when. How is our present technology enhanced to be "futurized" just a bit, to keep the feel of the film as "present-day" as possible?
2. Why do you think it is important for this story to be in the present day?
3. What current social or cultural trends does this film portray or satirize?
4. The film plays with film genres. How many genres of movie do you find in this film?
5. What do you think about robot helpers? Is this a viable way to utilize technology effectively?
6. Is it possible to have a relationship with a device that has no sentience? Does this require redefining the term "relationship"? Does this require a redefinition of sentience?
References
Robot & Frank on IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1990314/
Robot & Frank: vision of the future? interview with the director in The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/mar/08/robot-and-frank-vision-future
Movie Trailer
© Copyright Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.
Image Credits
http://www.thefilmbrief.com/2012/09/tuesday-trailer-robot-and-frank/
http://www.parentalguide.org/movieratingsguide.html
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